That We Might Know the Author
John Calvin (1509–1564) was a world-class theologian, a renowned teacher, an ecclesiastical statesman, and a valiant Reformer.
In A Little Book on the Christian Life, Calvin writes of the purpose of God’s many gifts.
We won’t go wrong in the use of God’s gifts as long as we let their use be governed by their author’s purpose in creating and designing them for us.
We won’t go wrong in the use of God’s gifts as long as we let their use be governed by their author’s purpose in creating and designing them for us—for truly He created them for our good, not our ruin. No one, therefore, will hold a truer course than he who carefully considers this purpose of God’s gifts. Thus, if we consider the purpose for which He created food, we find he had regard not only for our necessity but also our pleasure and enjoyment. So too with clothes—the purpose was our adornment and honor in addition to our necessity. In the case of herbs, trees, and fruits, He considered the pleasantness of their appearance and charm of their smell in addition to their various uses. If this weren’t true, the prophet couldn’t list among God’s benefits wine, which gladdens the heart of man, and oil, which makes man’s face shine.
You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man’s heart (Psalm 104:14-15).
Nor could Scripture, in order to commend God’s generosity, point out everywhere that He has given all such things to men.
isn’t it obvious that He has given us many praiseworthy things, even though they’re not necessary?
Even the natural qualities of things demonstrate how far we can enjoy them. Would the Lord have dressed the flowers with a beauty that runs freely to meet our eyes if it were wrong to be moved by such beauty? Would He have endowed them with so sweet a fragrance that flows freely into our nostrils if it were wrong to be moved by the pleasantness of such fragrance? Isn’t the answer obvious? Has God not distinguished colors in such a way as to make some more pleasing than others? Again I ask, isn’t the answer obvious? Isn’t it clear that He made gold and silver, ivory and marble attractive—rendering them more precious than other metals or stones? In sum, isn’t it obvious that He has given us many praiseworthy things, even though they’re not necessary?
All things given to us are given in order that we might know their author.
Let us, then, dismiss that inhuman philosophy that only permits us to use created things out of necessity—a philosophy that spitefully deprives us of the lawful enjoyment of divine kindness and by its very nature reduces man to a block of wood, robbed of all his senses. Yet we must no less diligently oppose our fleshly desires that will rush forward without restraint if not kept in check. And, as noted above, we must understand too that there are those who encourage the desires of the flesh, not denying themselves anything under the pretext of liberty.
…All things given to us are given in order that we might know their author. This leads us to gratitude for His kindness to us.